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31 August 2018
Application for 2019 NSFAS funding now open

Government has set up the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to provide students with financial assistance to cover the cost for registration and tuition and to provide them with allowances for books, food, transport, and accommodation.

Students may apply if they comply with the following criteria:

• You are a South African citizen with a household income of R350 000 or less, you are registered at this institution, and have not been approved for NSFAS funding in 2018
• You are a South African citizen with a household income of R350 000 or less, you are registered at this institution, but have not applied for NSFAS funding before
• You are a South African citizen with a household income of R350 000 or less and you plan to study at a public university or TVET College in 2019 and require funding

Make sure that you have certified and valid copies of the following documents before attempting to apply for funding:

• Your South African identity document/card (or an unabridged birth certificate (if you are younger than 16 years old)
• ID of parents and/or guardian (or death certificate where applicable)
• Pay advice/letter of employment/pension advice stating income (SASSA slips are not required and SASSA should not be included as household income)
A completed and signed consent form must be filled in with your parent’s/guardian’s signatures. Applications without a consent form signed by all people whose incomes have been declared in the application will not be accepted and will be considered incomplete
• If you have a disability, please download the Disability Annexure A, complete it, and submit it with your application

NB: The stamp on all certified documents should not be older than three months

PLEASE NOTE – YOUR APPLICATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED IF:
You have already applied for 2019 on www.nsfas.org.za and have an application reference number.

You already have NSFAS funding for 2018.

You already have an undergraduate degree/diploma or postgraduate degree other than the postgraduate qualifications listed below, which you may apply for: 

• BTech – Architecture/Architectural Technology 
• BTech – Engineering (all disciplines), Cartography, Forestry
• BTech – Biokinetics, Biomedical Technology, Biotechnology
• BTech – Chiropractic, Homoeopathy, all Nursing
• BTech – Clinical or Dental Technology, Emergency Medical Care
• Postgraduate Certificate in Education
• Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting
• LLB
 
Applicants may make use of the computer lab on campus to apply and may also contact the Financial Aid office on campus for assistance with their 2019 applications.

You may call the NSFAS Contact Centre on 08 000 67327

News Archive

"Studies indicate disability, poverty and inaccessibility to healthcare are intricately linked " - expert opinion by Dr Magteld Smith
2014-12-03

Dr Magteld Smith

Programmes worldwide attempt to improve the lives of people with disabilities, but recent studies indicated that disability and poverty, as well as disability and the inaccessibility of health care, continues to go hand in hand.

In South Africa, and even in developed countries, research shows that people with disabilities achieve lower levels of education with higher unemployment rates, live in extreme poverty and have low living standards.

“To have a disability can therefore become a huge financial burden on either the disabled person, the family or caregivers,” says Dr Magteld Smith from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology.

She devotes her research to the medical-social model of the global organisation, the International Classification of Functioning, Disabilities and Health, focusing on all areas of deafness.

Furthermore, Dr Smith says it is more difficult or more expensive for people with disabilities to obtain insurance, because of the risks associated with disability.

Dr Smith also emphasises the inaccessibility and even unavailability of medical services or health care for people with disabilities.

“Services such as psychiatry or social services are often not accessible. When such services are available, it is not affordable for most people with disabilities.”

Dr Smith uses the example of a person who was born deaf:

“Doctors have limited knowledge of the different types of hearing impairments or how to read and interpret an audiogram. Very little understanding also exists for the impact of deafness on the person’s daily life.”

Dr Smith, who is deaf herself, describes the emotional state of mind of people with disabilities as a daily process of adjustment and self-evaluation.

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